The Day of Visitation

This morning I woke up, having had a dream from the Lord.  I’d like to share it with you.  In this dream the spirit of slander was released to wreak havoc.  In fact, everyone this spirit spoke to misunderstood anything I said to them, for the spirit had twisted it.  I woke up alarmed.  I was concerned as to how to stop this spirit of slander, not only from touching my life, but all our lives.

The quiet counsel of the Lord is full of wisdom.  He pointed out that slander has been in the earth to a certain degree since the beginning.  Satan is called the father of lies, and never ceases to lie to us about ourselves and others.  Because God sent this warning in a dream I asked Him for the weapons of our warfare, which are mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.

The scripture the Lord brought to mind was 1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of wrongdoing, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation”.  In 1 Tim 5:25 we read that “ . . . good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not (obvious) cannot be hidden”.  Our good works glorify God and tell others that we are His.  In fact, it is written in Rev 3 to the Church at Philadelphia that those who said they were believers, but were not, were going to acknowledge that God loved the Christians which had good deeds.  

How does God make believers and unbelievers alike change their hearts about God’s people?  I believe that God is saying to pray for a day of visitation. We have an example of this in Esther 6:1,2 where king Xerxes could not sleep so he had the chronicles, the record of his reign, read.  In this book was an account that Mordecai thwarted the assassination of the king.   King Xerxes then had Mordecai honored.  Not only was Mordecai’s life spared, but God’s plan for the salvation of the Jews ultimately was accomplished.  Though the Jews had been slandered by Haman as being a people who did not obey the King’s laws, the king found out Haman’s plan was to destroy Mordecai and his people. 

This story parallels the day of visitation concept;

good works – Mordecai saved the king

slander – Haman spoke evil of the Jews

day of visitation - discovering the good deed

honor - the person originally slandered is restored and the slanderer

          acknowledges their sin (God’s perfect plan is to bring to repentance

          the one slandering, and though Haman did not repent, in our second example, the false           believers in the Church of Philadelphia did)

We welcome the conviction of the Holy Spirit into our hearts when we have sinned, having access to the throne for cleansing of our hearts.  But our unsaved enemies do not have this privilege.  I believe it is God’s plan to personally visit those who have wronged us when we pray for them.  He will bring to light His works through His people and turn the unbelieving to Himself, if they are willing.  We are His witnesses of the Life of Christ living through us. 

If a believer slanders, the day of visitation will restore that one to the Lord and cause unity in the body of Christ.  The day when God visits the hearts and minds of Man to acknowledge His works and His people is meant to restore Man through repentance to God.  When the spirit of slander is at work, our prayer for God’s visitation is a good weapon to use!  Amen.